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Ocean/International

Olympic gold medallist and America’s Cup winning helmsman Peter Burling has joined Team Brunel for the 2017-18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race – and he’s already out sailing with his new teammates in pre-race qualifying.

Unchallenged, Concise 10 blazed into Plymouth this morning, first boat home in the 47th Rolex Fastnet Race. Tony Lawson’s MOD70 trimaran crossed the finish line off Plymouth breakwater at 05:55:00 BST with a race time of 42 hours and 55 minutes. This time didn’t come close to the overall multihull record for the Rolex Fastnet Race but it was still respectable considering they sailed upwind all the way to the Fastnet Rock.
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Leg Zero not only takes care of the official qualifying for the Volvo Ocean Race – it’s also the first chance to see the teams in a competitive shakedown against each other.

No points will be carried forward to the race itself, but the overall Leg Zero winner still gets a confidence boost – and here, round-the-world Vendée Globe sailor Conrad Colman fills us in on how it
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The Volvo Ocean Race has unveiled a 10-strong squad of Onboard Reporters to tell the story of the toughest test of a team in professional sport.

Featuring hardened media pros from six nations around the world, the group of Onboard Reporters for the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 includes award-winning adventure photographers, extreme sports filmmakers, the documentary-making son of a Volvo Ocean Race legend and a former soldier–turned–journalist who has completed two tours of the Middle
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The Volvo Ocean Race will switch from a 3-year to a 2-year cycle after the upcoming 2017-18 edition, a change that will provide more continuity and more commercial value for professional sailing teams, sponsors and Host Cities.

Confirmation of the change will mean at least some race activity in every calendar year, from now on – meaning more action for fans of sailing’s iconic race around the world, more continuous employment for the professional sailors involved, and even greater return on investment for the stakeholders backing the teams.

The 2017-18 edition starts 22 October from Alicante and will finish at the end of June next year in The Hague, Netherlands. The three races after
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Matt Kent, age 33, turned back just 24 hours into his first attempt to sail across the Atlantic aboard the "stern-faced" tub Undaunted. Ryan Langley takes a close-up look at this tiny little ocean-crossing capsule.

Just 24 hours into his first attempt to sail solo across the Atlantic in Undaunted, his 42-inch yacht, Matt Kent had to turn back.

Consistent Platoon Have Rolex TP52 World Title Within Reach
(Friday 19th May, Scarlino) – The most consistent TP52 crew so far this season, Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon team have given themselves a fighting chance of lifting the Rolex TP52 World Championship title for the first time after returning a strong pair of scores on the penultimate day of competition.

After scoring no worse than third from the first three racing days, Platoon's
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Scuderia Quantum 1-2 at Top of Rolex TP52 World Championship Scarlino Standings
(Thursday 18th May, Scarlino) – With Quantum Racing comfortably winning the 26 mile coastal race and Platoon taking second place, Harm Müller-Spreer's German-flagged crew still top the standings at the Rolex TP52 World Championship Scarlino 2017 but their lead is cut to two points by today's race winners, holders of the 2016 world title.

From second position today, Quantum Racing seized their opportunity when the breeze went light and funky in the lee off Cerboli island and in two short tacks were able to wriggle past the momentarily
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Volvo Ocean Race unveils combined Monohull-Multihull future – the ultimate test of a professional sailing team

The Volvo Ocean Race has solved the question of whether its future should be monohull or multihull – by opting for both

The Volvo Ocean Race has solved the question of whether its future should be monohull or multihull – by opting for both. The introduction of a foil-assisted 60-foot (18.29 metre) monohull for the ocean legs plus an ultra-fast 32-50 foot (10-15m) flying catamaran for use inshore will elevate the race to the ultimate all-round test in professional sailing.

The race announced the next generation of One Design boats – to be introduced in 2019 and designed for use over at least six years *– as the centrepiece of its vision for the next decade which significantly raises
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Segel Reporter reports on
a crazy 11 Day crossing of the Atlantic on a 20' Catamaran

Vittorio Malingri (56) and Nico Malingri (26) have now also won the best time on the big pond after their Mediterranean record .

The Italian father-son team Malingri has broken the long-distance record for Beach Cats under 6.50 meters on the route Dakar - Point-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe) with his 6.05 meter long Formula 20 catamaran
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